[Sca-cooks] semi OT question on steer butchering and costs

[UlfR]

ysabeau <ysabeau at mail.ev1.net> [2005.07.19] wrote:
> An important factor is to specify how you want the meat packaged 
> during processing. If you have a small family, ask them to package 
> it in smaller packages. The first time my sister did this, we 
> ended up with 5lb packages of hamburger. My family consists of me 
> and my daughter who couldn't eat that much hamburger in a week. We 
> also got packages of 5 steaks. Also, if you want specific cuts 
> then you need to tell them ahead of time. I had to go research 7-
> bone steak and pike's peak roast because I'd never heard of them 
> before. Still haven't figured out what to do with the roast...I'm 
> thinking pot roast? 

You may also want to check just what options are available (lots of stew
meat, lots's of hamburger, etc). Where I buy my beef I get it
"semi-detailed" (a quarter Charolais is 3 boxes, one hamburger and two
with various other cuts), and the rest is up to me; they give me
manageable chunks/slices, and I spend a few hours cutting it up,
nibbling various small pieces of raw beef, bagging and tossing in the
freezer. And one big bag of bones for making stock.

Also, if you like things like liver, kidneys, or heart ask for it
specially.

Since I on an æveryday basis tend to cook brown goo and stuff like
bolognese/lasanga/fake pseudo-risotto[1] I go through the stew meat and
hamburger fairly fast, and then sit there wondering what to do with the
"nice" cuts[2] ("I suppose we have to eat the entrecot, it *has* to be
used...").

> as my contribution towards dinner...everyone commented what a 
> difference the quality of the meat makes...in tacos! If you can 
> tell a difference in taco meat, then you know it is good stuff!

Oh, yes, there is a marked difference in flavour between the generic
grocery store meat and the stuff I buy,

UlfR

[1] Brown 3-400 g hamburger with an onion and some garlic. Add 1 can
crushed tomatoes and 1 can water. Add some beef stock, some bay leaves,
pepper, balsamic vinegar, few drops soy sauce, mushrooms, etc, etc. Once
it is boiling add 100 ml brown rice. Simmer for an hour or so. No it
isn't fancy, but it is good filling everyday food, and I spend as much
as 10-15 minutes of actual time (as opposed to cooking time) on it. Goes
well with kids too. You can toss in some chopped veggies towards the end
(even the pre-cut froozen stuff).

[2] But both the fancy cuts and some of the hamburger[3] goes well in
the dryer.

[3] Brown hamburger with onions, and not too dominant spices. Rince once
with boiling water to get rid of the fat. Dry until fully dry: perfect
for backpacking.

-- 
UlfR Ketilson                               ulfr at hunter-gatherer.org
Thin red line of 'eroes when the drums begin to roll -- Rudyard Kipling